“The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind & the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.”

– B. K. S. Iyengar

“Yoga is almost like music in a way; there’s no end to it.”

– Sting

The physical practice of yoga (Hatha Yoga) regardless of style or tradition has a lot in common with the song mentioned by Yogi #19 (Mary D.). In relation to each, people experience and express sorrow, joy, ecstasy, confusion, and/or spiritual transcendence. Maybe that’s why, as the songwriter puts it, so “many different (ones) exist.” Maybe that’s why so many different people try to put their spin on both. And maybe that’s why pretty much everyone who has ever heard the song, or practiced yoga, has a favorite version – and can be fairly fanatical about that favorite. Ironically, after the songwriter edited down at least 80 verses of the aforementioned song, his record label didn’t want to release the album containing the song because, he said, “They didn’t think it was good enough.”

“It was the first time I could really see and intuitively feel what it was I was doing, making or creating in that enterprise. After a long period of barrenness, it all just seemed to click. Suddenly, I knew these weren’t discrete songs I was writing…I could see – I could sense a unity. Various Positions had its own life, its own narrative. It was all laid out and all of a sudden it all made sense. It was almost painfully joyful, if that makes some sense. The pulling and the putting of the pieces together coherently, the being inside of that process and knowing, once I’d done that, it would be finished and I would have to leave it and go back to the world.”

– Leonard Cohen in a Globe and Mail 2000 interview

Underlying all the different types of yoga practice is a sense of unity. In fact, the Sanskrit word “yoga” means union. Of course, there are lots of different ways to experience yoga. Patanjali defines one way in the Yoga Sutras, when he highlights three (3) of the internal observations (niyamas) as a prescription for union through purification (Kriya Yoga). You could experience Tapas (heat/discipline/austerity), Svadyaya (self study), and Ishvara Pranidhana (surrendering efforts) in any number of practices. However, physical yoga practices like Ashtanga Yoga and Bikram (Hot Yoga) are deliberately built around the Kriya Yoga rubric. Each has a sequence of specific poses, practiced in a specific order and manner – Hot Yoga, in particular, has that “minor fall, and the major lift…” And, each guarantees 90 minutes of internal focus and heat, lots and lots of heat.

Keep in mind, tapas (heat) isn’t always about the temperature of the body. It can just as easily be defined as the focus on alignment found in Iyengar as the external (physical heat) found in Bikram Yoga or the internal (physical heat) found in Ashtanga Yoga. One thing is for certain, however, as a person experiences tapas on the mat, that person has the opportunity to study themselves as they encounter challenges and let go of anything that doesn’t serve them.

You put yourself into it, go through your hard work – or if you want to take it easy , you take it easy as much as you can, but you’re still moving. The body carries emotional baggage and you’re just getting rid of this baggage.”

“One thing is this – people should see the result. If the result is effective and positive in their life, they should stick with it. I always say my Guru is my heart because I always listen to my heart – is it mentally, spiritually, and physically enhancing me, or not? If I see I am growing and it is helping me, then I’d rather stick with it.”

“Bikram’s method is really consistent with people in building their personality; their perspective of life, their will power, and self esteem is helped by the 26 2.”

– Rajashree Bikram

Mary D. and I have only met once, in passing, several months ago. I had no idea at the time that she practiced any kind of yoga, let alone Bikram. When my housemate (who facilitated the video) asked her, Mary D. didn’t hesitate to participate in my Kiss My Asana challenge. My housemate said, “She likes yoga. She likes to help people.” Hmmm, based on the little bit I know about this Hot (Bikram) Yogi, I think what she really likes to do is to feed people – and it doesn’t matter if she’s feeding their bodies, their minds, or their souls. It’s all one.

When Mary D. “retired” a few years back, in order to start her own business, people at a certain university in St. Paul missed what she had to offer. But, pay attention and one starts to notice that while people obviously missed the food she prepared, those same people are just as likely to mention her personal engagement. She not only knew their favorite sandwiches (and how they liked them), she knew bits and pieces about their lives. Just as she knew it’s not a sandwich if it’s only bread on the outside, Mary D. knew no person is complete without their insides. After all, it’s the “guts” (physically and metaphysically speaking) that make us human. Mind Body Solutions offers people an opportunity to unleash what makes us human – regardless of what’s on the outside. KISS MY ASANA and you’re taking advantage of the opportunity to feed someone’s mind-body.

Want to KISS MY ASANA while you practice? Contact Myra at a joyfulpractice.com to reserve a spot (or two) at a donation-based class on Saturday, February 27th (3:30 - 5:30 PM) or Saturday, March 5th (6:30 - 8:00 PM). Space is limited.